Rest in Peace - John Warwick Montgomery - Lawyer, Scholar, Librarian

 

LutherQuest found this 12 year old post about Montgomery on Ichabod.

Christina and I had lunch with John Warwick Montgomery, at the 1982 Chicago Inerrancy Conference. Robert Preus spoke and Kurt Marquart was also there. The last time I looked, Montgomery still promoted Objective Faithless Justification. However, Robert Preus taught Justification by Faith in his last book, Justification and Rome, in spite of its feeble editing by two of the Preus' sons.

Someone will have to produce a book, essay, or jeremiad about Montgomery. He was prolific in earning degrees and writing books. We kept in touch for a period of time, and he bought a bunch of my books, postage free. He said, "You did mean postage free." Yes, I did. 

He fostered my exit from apostate Lutherdom. I served an LCA church where one member asked me if I could use some books. He did the cleaning at a Missouri Synod  church where the pastor quit the ministry and left a truckload of books and journals behind. They filled the tables in the donuts and coffee area of my congregation. Christina suggested we give them away to members and anyone else, so we spread them out over the tables. I kept a few.

One book was about the weakness of current denominations, and Montgomery repudiated the errors of Lutherdom. Another author in that book was a missionary to Africa, and I knew him from his preaching at my home church in Moline. The missionary taught faith in Christ, and Montgomery pointed out the errors of modernism.

John Lawrenz

In other news, John Lawrenz, - WELS high school principal, temporary college president, and overseas missionary - died at the age of 81. He was one of the very few Wisconsin clergy who had a legitimate, academic PhD. However, he did not venture far from the cookie-cutter style of his synod.

John Lawrenz

Holes in the Boat - Caulking Will Not Help

Do pastors have to offer live bunny rabbits, so people come to their Easter services in a graveyard? Calvinist Church Growthers think that is necessary to sell the Gospel.

Patterson and Doebler - the future professor for the Asian mini-seminary - promoted live bunnies at their Easter services. That is the typical result of Calvinist Church Growth thinking. The Calvinists are not sure when the Spirit visits the service, so they make the Word of God real, relevant, and relational.

Church and Change Patterson had Church and Change Doebler (DMin, Gordon Conwell) move to the Asian Seminary, so Ski - Church and Change board member - could be at Round Rock. The Asian seminary president was Church and Change founder John Lawrenz until he passed it onto Church and Change founder Steve Witte (Appleton, WI, Church and Change birthplace).

 The Church and Change conferences transitioned to Change or Die! - to include women pastors and ELCA - thanks to Mark Jeske, Prince of Perfidy.

From 2007 - DP Not So Excited about Michigan Lutheran Seminary

 Former DP John Seifert (middle) posed with Scott Barefoot, who sent himself as a minister to gays and organized People of Grace with Pastor Richard Starr. But do not join the Intrepids! Oh no!

According to my source (Grey Goose) Michigan DP John Seifert did not seem energetic in his support for Michigan Lutheran Seminary.

I find little difference between LCMS District Popes, WELS District Popes, and ELCA bishops. All have seized the power to kick pastors out of the ministry without cause (except the pastors' valid criticisms of the synod). All three synodical types seem to think their job is to be loyal to and worshipful toward the organization. "I love the (fill in the blank) synod" is a good career motto. Expressing a few reservations is good - tossing red meat to the base - but those reservations mean nothing.

Michigan DP Robert Mueller, a tireless bungler, saw his district vote down four different resolutions in favor of amalgamation (DMLC taking over NWC). He did everything possible to get a positive vote. Then he spoke at the national convention in favor of amalgamation. The pastors stopped speaking to him. They even left the room when he entered. So he declined to run. He got a free trip to Russia, supposedly as a missionary. Ha. Now Gurgel is going to do "mission work" overseas. Ah, that sounds so much better than a long, synod-paid vacation.

Another synod cipher stepped in when Mueller declined to run. I mean, Seifert stepped in. He worships the Wisconsin Synod, as all the officials do.

Seifert was such a loyal circuit pastor that he never noticed Bivens (same circuit) defending Church Growth and bragging about going to Fuller Seminary. Seifert heard it in his own driveway, but he forgot the episode twice. Bivens forgot too, because he could not imagine why I thought he went to Fuller Seminary. Good career move, Frosty.

When initial efforts were being made to close down MLS, John Lawrenz, then the president of the school, said this, "We are willing to accept any role the synod gives us." He waved the white flag at his own school, at the district meeting! Soon he was president of DMLC for one month, head of Worker Training, and seminary professor. For some reason he was soon out of Mequon and teaching in Russia and Asia. Obviously, pulling the plug on his own school was not a bad career move.

May They Live a Hundred Years and Look Upon Their Accomplishments: The Cutting Edge Bled the Synodical Conference to Death

The class portraits of the seminary in Mordor are useful for identifying who drank beer together. Fortunately, the worst of them published their wisdom and gloried in taking over the Wisconsin sect. Their Church and Change organization was out in the open, on the Internet, and they had conferences not attended by Kudu Don Patterson.

There were many others, like Valleskey and his pal Bivens, all the leaders in American and world missions. Missouri and the Little Sect on the Prairie have their counterparts. C. Peter Wagner listed five LCMS leaders in his Who's Who in Church Growth. The Little Sect always wags its chihuahua tail when WELS speaks or offers a treat.

I hope they all live 100 years and look upon the wreckage of their doctrinal and pastoral felonies. Waldo Werning was named in the Who's Who list of Church Growth heroes, and they all worked with him too - and Otten. The typical Shrinker bragged about going to Fuller Summer - as Valleskey, Bivens, and Werning did - and denied it when convenient.

The one thing they prize is money and visible, measurable success - not the Gospel. They hate the Gospel and glory in teaching against the Chief Article of Christianity - Justification by Faith. For that reason, God has taken away their previous success - when they actually taught the Chief Article - and handed them over to their Father Below.

Matt the Fatt, Mirthless Mark, and Pope John the Malefactor are not leaders - but followers. They protect the apostates, who reward them with undeserved salaries and benefits, chiefly the benefit of the doubt. They could not possibly be shielding felons among their church workers, could they? Let's hope they stay in office another 20 years, so people pay a fortune for their maladministrations, their promotion of Church Growth and ELCA dogma - UOJ.

Fancy this - the LCMS-ELS-WELS have sent their leaders to Fuller and Willow Creek for decades, just like ELCA. And now they are all Barthians, because Fuller is Barthian. Has any synod broken the news that Fuller is pulling back, canceling building plans and ending their local cancer nodes? They are going down together, with ELCA just a little bit in the lead.

 Barth's children had two mommies, because Barth moved his mistress, Charlotte Kirschbaum, into his home and lived with her alone in the summers. Everyone knew, just like the Walther circle and their promiscuous Bishop Stephan. Barth/Kirschbaum are the two most prominent theologians for Protestants, Catholics, and Fuller Seminary.

 Hybels is another favorite among the apostates - the founder of Willow Creek, the trainer of Lutheran pastors of all stripes, and the target of many women whom he pursued. As Lenski noted, spiritual adultery and similar problems go together. 

Church History and the History of Doctrine

I wrote on Facebook - about this post on Yale church historians.
"One can become too cynical from a studying church history alone. The history of doctrine is more enlightening because one must face the doctrine itself, as you say. Many avoid that because they will see the felons in their synodical family tree. They would rather boast about the heroic deeds of the founders. That is why the shallow approach to Luther annoys me no end. The emphasis is placed on what he did rather than what he taught."

Church history itself is more biographical and relies on the documents of the age.

The history of doctrine seeks to find out the origins of the various confessions of faith. That is more difficult - but more important - because it is an intellectual history.

Databases - even simple ones - are handy. As LI has said more than once, "Computers eliminate routine functions so we can concentrate on the more interesting ones. Doing the same thing over and over leads to mistakes from boredom."

Adam Mueller is also trans-doctrine-lite.

 Wayne Mueller's son must not have read Daddy's denial
about the absence of Church Growth in WELS.
But the Book of Concord encourages WELS to change doctrine,
dumping Gausewitz, and to wear dresses at church picnics.
Right? Right?

I began Megatron, the Database, immediately after Wayne Mueller claimed there was no Church Growth in WELS, and even if so, Church Growth was in harmony with the Book of Concord (which he clearly never glanced at).

Dunces quote other dunces,
and false teachers always find dubious justification
for their false doctrine.

The Great Wayne Mueller even said the Confessions encourage us to change doctrine.

Photoshop enabled me to cut and paste all the obvious
Church Growth stars into one graphic.

Most of the blokes above are retired now, but their toxic waste remains. Mark Schroeder, who pledged himself to clean up the stables, dropped his mask and donned his Stormtrooper uniform. He is the best friend Church and Change ever had, whether a Manchurian Candidate, or a convert to their cause.

Sow weed seeds, harvest weeds.
Isn't that Steve Witte, a Founder of Church and Change,
jointly teaching with an ELCA pastor?

 So glad John Lawrenz did not let the Asian mini-seminary
slip away from the grasp of Church and Change.

No, the First President of Martin Luther College (Amalgamated) Was John Lawrenz - For One Month. Second President of MLC WELS Ted Olson Died

Friday, April 24, 2015

President Theodore Olsen is called to glory

Funeral arrangements are still being developed. He was a member of Beautiful Savior, Spooner.

Dear friends in the living Savior,

Today the MLC administrative offices received news from Mrs. Joanne Olsen that President emeritus Ted Olsen died this morning at 7:44am, after a brief hospitalization.  When funeral arrangements are finalized, the family will inform the administrative offices and we will pass along the details for his victory service.

President Olsen served as a parish pastor in Wisconsin and Florida.  He served in various WELS ministerial education schools.  He was a tutor at Northwestern Lutheran Academy in Mobridge, SD.  He was a professor at DMLC.  He served as president of Martin Luther Preparatory School in Prairie du Chien, and finally as the first president of Martin Luther College.

The Lord blessed his ministry at MLC as he evangelically guided the college during the amalgamation of DMLC and Northwestern College.  The fruits of his labors here at MLC remain visible in a college that remains committed to Scripture and with a single focus on preparing gospel ministers for service in the WELS.  We thank Jesus for this faithful servant of the Word.  Now the apostle Paul encourages us to Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.  We grieve with the family at the suddenness of Ted's death and the pain of separation.  Yet we rejoice with the family in the Spirit-given confidence that those who die in Christ are alive in Christ.  Whether we live or die, we are the Lord's.  May Christ's Easter triumph comfort and sustain Joanne and the entire Olsen family.  May we at MLC honor his memory with a renewed commitment of faithful study and adherence to the inerrant Word, and a passion for the assigned task to prepare servants of the Word to go forth and proclaim the saving message of new life in Christ.  Thanks be to God, he gives us the victory in our Lord Jesus Christ.

In the comfort and confidence of the living Savior,

M. Zarling

http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=5bc022e089bd092f413025e42&id=6f15c07171

***

The ideal WELS member
was envisioned long ago.

GJ - WELS Church and Change leaders (synonymous with the WELS administration) forced the merger of Dr. Martin Luther College and Northwestern College. Naturally, the clergy resented it but did not fight it with any fire. Temporary smoldering is their forte.

The NWC alumni group was "not allowed" to vote on the merger.

A mail in poll showed that the majority responding did not like the idea.

The Michigan District of WELS shot down four different resolutions aimed at approving the merger. DP Robert Mueller then spoke on the floor of the WELS convention in favor of the merger.

Gurgle promised the merger would not cost more than $8 million, but they spent $30 million. Once again, the clergy smoldered for a short time.

John Lawrenz thought he could be finally more than a high school principal by being the first MLC president. He was largely in charge of the merger. When word got out, his presidency lasted for about a month. Some clergy finally worked themselves into a fury - why reward the NWC graduate who stabbed them in the back? His presidency faded faster than the truth in a WELS PR release.

Lawrenz really wanted to be on the Mequon faculty, but the closest he ever got was the porta-seminary in Asia. Fellow Church and Change pioneer Steve Witte followed him as president of the little seminary that couldn't. Does anyone imagine they teach anything close to Lutheran doctrine?

John Lawrenz and Steve Witte - Recent Faves on Ichabod

"Be thou continuously changing dogma to fit the the times -
 except UOJ!"

http://ichabodthegloryhasdeparted.blogspot.com/2010/11/john-lawrenz-church-and-changer.html

A new president was installed and three students graduated during a special service at Asia Lutheran Seminary (ALS) in Hong Kong Nov. 1.

Dr. Steven Witte, who arrived at ALS in October 2009, will start in his new position as president in January 2011. He will replace Dr. John Lawrenz, who has been serving as president since this seminary operated by WELS World Missions opened in 2005. [Witte earned a DMin in Church Growth at Gordon Conwell. He is a founder of WELS Church and Change.]

"This opportunity to serve brings me great joy and some anxiety," says Witte. "When I look at myself and the challenges of the work, I lose confidence that things will go well for ALS in the future. When I look at God and his promises and the team of workers he has provided around me, I become excited at what God has accomplished in Hong Kong and China—and what the future holds."

Witte says that future goals for ALS are many, including providing a complete seminary education—including Hebrew and Greek—for those in Hong Kong as well as building "education pipelines" to other East Asian countries. He says ALS also will continue translating Lutheran materials into Chinese as well as preparing some of its graduates to serve as professors someday.

Lawrenz, who is already beyond retirement age, says he is stepping down to provide continuity in leadership at ALS. He will continue to serve at ALS as a professor and as an advisor to Witte. He says he is thankful for his experiences as ALS president: "Starting with a mandate and little more, our team has arrived at a point where we can reach for stability with a faculty of four and the staff and learning resources to go with it."

Fifty-six students, plus two people via Skype, are taking classes at ALS. Including the three recent graduates, seven students have now graduated from ALS and are serving at congregations in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Read more about these recent blessings at ALS from Dr. John Lawrenz's viewpoint on the mission blog.

***

GJ - They graduate women at their seminary too. The photos are hard to kelm, but if nothing good is on QVC tonight, I may give it another try.